aKt 


“The  College  Graduate 
in  a Democracy” 

ADDRESS 

TO  THE 

Graduating  Class  of 
The  Clemson  Agricultural  College 
of  South  Carolina 

DELIVERED  BY 


WILLIAM  O.  THOMPSON,  LL.D. 

PRESIDENT  OHIO  STATE  UNIVERSITY 


Memorial  Hall,  June  9,  1914 


PEACE  PRINTING  CO. 
Greenville,  S.  C. 

1914 


c 


“The  College  Graduate  in  a 
Democracy” 

Mr.  President , Gentlemen  of  the  Faculty  and  Board  of 
Trustees,  Members  of  the  Graduating  Class: 

American  (history  is  a series  of  wonderful  visions. 
From  the  days  of  Plymouth  Rock  to  the  university  com- 
mencements of  the  twentieth  century  there  is  no  lack  of 
interest  or  variety  in  the  scenes,  no  matter  from  what 
point  of  view  you  study  the  progress  of  the  American 
people.  The  scenery  is  filled  with  sunlit  mountains, 
broad  and  fertile  valleys,  rugged  mountain  scenery, 
and  of  course  the  dark  shadows.  There  is  no 
persistent  tendency  to  level  these  mountain  ranges,, 
to  destroy  the  fertile  valleys  and  bring  about 
the  drear  monotony  of  mediocrity  of  a common  level  for 
all  people.  There  is  a disposition  to  rejoice  in  the  endless- 
variety  of  American  life  with  an  apparent  determination 
that  the  dark  shadows  shall  not  be  the  hiding  places  of 
crime,  disorder,  and  danger,  but  the  cool,  sequestered 
vale  in  which  the  weary  may  find  rest  and  the  leisurely 
may  find  enjoyment.  The  wide  variety  of  climate,  of 
topography,  of  industry,  of  intellectual,  social  and  reli- 
gious life,  are  entirely  consistent  with  the  variety  of  ele- 
ments that  have  entered  into  American  life  and  have  been 
cherished  by  her  free  institutions  and  her  democratic 
form  of  government. 

It  should  be  born  in  mind  that  this  democracy  is  an 
American  development  through  the  agency  of  imported 
citizenship. 

No  one  of  us  is  a real  native.  We  are  the  children  or 
the  grandchildren  of  the  pioneers  who  came  from  other 
lands  to  dwell  in  the  new  discovery.  From  the  days 


of  Runnymede  in  1215  the  rage  of  King  John  is  prophetic 
of  the  contest  that  has  been  continuously  waged  all  these 
centuries  between  privilege  on  the  one  side  and  the  people 
on  the  other.  Out  of  the  hot-bed  of  discussion  and  the 
ferment  of  the  Reformation  Period  came  not  only  the 
discovery  of  a new  continent  but  the  culling  out  of  liberty- 
loving  souls  who  dared  the  dangers  of  an  angry  ocean 
to  find  a home  where  religious  and  civil  liberty  might 
cultivate  without  let  or  hindrance  the  ideals  of  democratic 
citizenship.  These  men  came  through  a series  of  years 
from  the  most  aggressive  and  enlightened  portions  of 
the  European  continent.  They  brought  with  them  a 
mixture  of  their  love  of  liberty  and  their  traditional 
customs.  There  was  fought  out,  therefore,  on  the  Ameri- 
can continent  in  tlhe  early  colonial  and  pioneer  days  the 
last  contests  which  established  forever  the  doctrine  that 
America  was  to  be  a country  where  the  government  should 
be  of  the  people,  for  the  people  and  by  the  people. 

The  development  of  this  democracy  was  based  upon 
the  fundamental  ideas  of  freedom  of  religion,  of  speech, 
of  the  press,  of  labor,  and  in  general  the  fundamental 
right  of  every  man  to  direct  his  life  and  determine  his 
own  career.  America  was  a synonym  for  freedom  of 
opportunity.  On  the  other  hand,  this  highly  prized 
freedom  was  paralleled  by  the  development  of  institution, 
al  life  in  dhurch  and  state  and  the  traditional  ideas  of  edu- 
cation. The  development  of  wealth  and  the  overhanging 
of  established  social  customs  brought  into  American  de- 
mocracy many  of  the  artificial  and  superficial  convention- 
alities which  tend  to  stratify  society  into  fixed  groups  that 
were  quite  as  unresponsive  as  those  characteristic  of  Euro- 
pean society.  The  western  pioneer  has  always  been  the  ex- 
pression of  American  freedom,  while  the  eastern  family 
has  tended  to  crystallize  into  the  hard  and  fast  stratifica- 
tion of  wealth  and  privilege*  From  a political  point  of  view 
this  present  decade  has  demonstrated  that  the  western 
man  has  been  characterized  by  freedom,  independence, 
lack  of  respect  for  traditions,  and  a tremendous  moral 


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earnestness,  based  upon  his  conviction  as  to  righteousness 
and  his  love  of  personal  liberty.  The  eastern  man  has 
tended  toward  an  intellectual  aristocracy,  devotion  to 
established  customs,  love  of  the  privilege  associated  with 
wealth  and  power  and  a conservative  attitude  upon  all 
matters  pertaining  to  political  and  social  progress. 

In  the  world  of  education  these  same  general  lines  have 
been  maintained.  The  eastern  college  or  university, 
strongly  wedded  to  traditional  forms  and  types  of  educa- 
tion, has  gathered  its  inspiration  from  the  culture  of  the 
past  while  the  western  institution,  more  a university  of 
the  people,  has  caught  its  inspiration  from  the  vision  of 
its  future  triumphs  and  a devotion  to  the  public  welfare. 
The  student  of  history  and  of  economic  development  has 
come  to  appreciate  that  all  special  favors  are  based  upon 
the  service  of  others.  It  is  impossible  to  rid  our  minds 
of  the  conclusion  that  people  of  special  privilege  enjoy 
that  privilege  at  the  expense  of  others.  A favored  class, 
therefore,  means  a proletariat  at  the  other  end  of  the  line. 
The  struggle  of  democracy  is  to  rid  the  proletariat  of  his 
burden,  to  give  him  a better  expression  of  his  own  life,  and 
to  bring  the  favored  classes  to  see  their  obligation  toward 
those  enjoying  less  of  favor  or  opportunity.  Democracy, 
therefore,  signifies  not  simply  a condition  in  which  men 
live  but  an  attitude  of  mind  toward  each  other  which  shall 
determine  their  service  and  an  appreciation  of  that  service 
as  rendered  by  one  to  another.  Democracy  therefore 
has  to  do,  not  merely  with  the  form  of  government,  but 
the  spirit  in  which  it  is  administered.  It  has  to  do  as 
much  with  the  spirit  in  which  a citizen  renders  service 
as  in  the  kind  of  service  rendered.  It  is  impossible  to 
think  of  a great  population  all  engaged  in  a service  the 
form  of  which  has  equal  dignity  and  importance,  but 
not  impossible  to  think  of  a great  people  inspired  with 
right  ideals  as  to  service  and  with  an  appreciation  of  the 
dignity  both  of  man  and  of  labor.  In  whatever  area  we 
undertake  to  discuss  the  meaning  and  significance  of  life 
we  shall  find  ourselves  confronted  [with  the  constant 


3 


struggle  between  the  two  opposing  theories.  We  cannot 
bring  all  men  to  the  same  degree  of  efficiency  nor  assign 
to  them  equal  rewards  for  service.  The  real  problem  is 
whether  a democracy  can  so  adjust  its  social  and  industrial 
conditions  as  to  maintain  in  every  instance  the  dignity 
of  citizenship,  self-respect  in  the  individual,  and  an 
attitude  of  mind  toward  our  neighbor  consistent  with  our 
ideals  of  freedom  and  character.  We  must  in  some  way 
realize  the  truth  in  the  familiar  couplet : 

“Honor  and  fame  from  no  condition  rise, 

Act  well  your  part;  there  the  honor  lies.” 

A peasant  on  the  American  farm,  a proletariat  in 
American  industry,  and  a fixed  gulf  between  a man  of 
high  achievement  and  the  one  of  moderate  service  are 
not  the  features  which  we  think  of  as  expressing  the 
excellence  of  American  democracy.  There  are  two  great 
forces  that  tend  to  correct  these  disturbing  tendencies. 
The  one  is  religion  which,  in  its  simple  and  fundamental 
form,  will  ever  be  the  spiritual  bond  binding  men  to 
common  ideals,  common  aspirations,  common  hopes,  and 
a perpetual  fellowship.  The  other  is  education,  which, 
with  its  broadening  and  enlightening  influence,  should 
bring  to  men  not  only  an  appreciation  of  life  but  an  ability 
to  interpret  society  and  its  institutions  in  such  a way  as  to 
render  the  service  needed  for  the  breaking  down  of  social 
and  industrial  prejudices  and  the  development1!  of  a 
social  status  tolerable  alike  to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  to 
the  strong  and  the  weak. 

The  supreme  function  of  education,  therefore,  is  to 
develop  men  and  women  who  are  able  not  only  to  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  problems  of  democracy  but  who 
are  in  a sympathetic  mood,  ready  to  lay  hold  with  a de- 
termined effort  to  aid  in  their  solution.  The  college 
bred  man  or  woman  is  the  one  on  whom  society,  through 
its  organized  forces,  has  put  its  supreme  effort  to  pro- 
duce a citizen  of  this  type.  Above  all  other  persons 
he  is  the  one  to  whom  special  consideration  has  been 
given  and  upon  whom  rests  the  heaviest  responsibility 


4 


for  leadership  in  a society  constantly  facing  the  struggle 
between  opposing  forces.  The  college  graduate  is  the 
favored  child  of  his  generation,  nurtured  in  an  idealism 
where  character,  service,  and  opportunity  are  emphasized 
and  where,  if  anywhere,  we  may  expect  to  find  a citizen- 
ship with  highest  ideals,  broadest  sympathies  and  a most 
genuine  service.  It  is  in  such  people  we  may  rationally 
expect  to  find  the  best  expression  of  our  American  ideals. 

These  familiar  and  somewhat  commonplace  remarks 
about  the  ideals  of  democracy  are  no  doubt  imbedded  in 
the  conscience  of  the  American  student.  Here  in  the 
middle  West,  addressing  myself  to  a graduating  class 
and  indirectly  to  the  community  from  which  they  come, 
I desire  to  set  out  in  a simple  way  the  opportunities  as 
well  as  the  duties  that  lie  before  the  American  college 
graduate  in  our  developing  democracy.  There  are  'a  few 
things  that  might  well  be  assumed  and  upon  which  I 
put  some  emphasis  this  morning  as  underlying  a proper 
appreciation  of  the  careers  to  which  educated  people  may 
look  forward. 

i.  First  of  all,  let  it  be  recognized  that  you  are  plung- 
ing into  a life  which  shows  no  lack  of  energy  or  efficiency. 
No  one  can  read  American  history  and  feel  that  the 
people  lack  energy.  He  might  question  the  wisdom  with 
which  they  have  exerted  themselves,  but  he  could  not 
deny  the  fact  that  there  is  tremendous  energy  every- 
where on  this  continent.  Indeed  the  criticism  is  not 
infrequently  heard  that  we  have  a surplus  of  energy; 
that  we  are  altogether  too  active;  that  too  little  place 
is  found  in  American  life  for  the  leisurely  thoughtfulness 
which  builds  permanency.  It  may  be  that  individuals 
lack  oftentimes  this  sterling  quality  but  it  will  be  well 
for  you  to  assume  that  the  abounding  energy  of  the 
American  people  will  continue  long  past  your  day  and 
generation.  The  efficiency  of  the  people  is  usually  as- 
sumed. This,  however,  is  a more  debatable  question. 
American  energy  has  been  characterized  by  tremendous 
wastefulness.  It  is  difficult  always  to  argue  for  efficiency 


5 


in  the  presence  of  such  tremendous  extravagance  of 
energy.  The  much  discussed  problems  of  conservation 
in  these  days  constitute  only  one  side  of  the  issue.  While 
wasting  with  one  hand  we  have  not  always  been  careful  to 
develop  with  the  other.  We  have  produced  our  crops 
at  too  great  cost  of  our  original  resources.  The  im- 
poverished condition  of  large  areas  of  this  country  is 
a persistent  note  of  warning.  I recall  very  distinctly 
when  visiting  Leadville,  Colorado,  a score  of  years  ago 
that  the  dumps  of  some  of  the  lead  mines  were  sup- 
posed to  be  worthless.  In  later  years  improved  methods 
of  producing  ores  made  those  dumps  sources  of  great 
profit.  Efficiency  has  dragged  itself  along  in  particular 
instances  of  this  kind.  I do  not  mean  to  offer  a sweeping 
criticism  of  the  practices  of  the  fathers.  It  seems  foolish 
now  to  think  of  rail  fences  of  walnut  wood  or  of  the 
best  of  white  oak,  but  that  was  a necessity  of  the  time. 
They  were  the  cheapest  fences  that  could  be  built.  The 
lumber  nowadays  could  be  turned  to  much  better  pur- 
pose. This  may  illustrate  what  is  true  in  many  instances 
in  respect  to  the  wastefulness  of  the  early  settlers.  Mak- 
ing due  allowance,  however,  for  all  these  things,  the 
fact  remains  that  American  experience  has  proved  that 
we  have  been  unnecessarily  wasteful  of  our  resources. 
This  is  hardly  consistent  with  highest  efficiency. 

Another  phase,  however,  is  that  a good  deal  of 
latent  power  and  efficiency  has  never  been  developed. 
This  is  the  field  into  which  educated  young  men  and 
young  women  may  enter  in  the  sure  hope  not  only  of 
a reward  for  their  services,  but  of  the  gratitude  of  the 
people  as  well.  It  is  characteristic  of  high  efficiency 
that  it  usually  produces  its  results  economically  and  with- 
out destroying  the  fruits  of  other  activities.  The  im- 
proved methods  of  many  manufacturing  processes  have 
enabled  us  to  gather  larger  percentages  of  value  and  thus 
represent  a very  important  phase  of  conservation.  This 
brings  out  the  hopeful  vision  for  educated  young  men 
and  young  woman.  There  is  a problem  here  worthy 


6 


of  your  best  intelligence.  My  references  have  chiefly 
been  to  things  material  simply  because  they  are  most 
evident.  The  student  of  sociology,  however,  is  well 
aware  of  the  fact  that  the  social  waste  of  modern  society 
together  with  the  failure  to  use  our  social  forces  for  the 
betterment  of  civilization  are  simply  appalling.  The 
great  outstanding  need  today  is  for  some  vision-gifted 
soul  to  lead  the  way  in  a better  utilization  of  talent.  It 
is  the  function,  however,  of  the  educated  person  to  see 
the  possibilities  here  and  throw  his  energies  into  such 
a reorganization  of  our  social  life  as  will  make  it  not 
only  more  efficient  but  productive  of  greater  happiness. 

The  organization  of  government  by  common  consent 
has  been  the  least  economical  of  any  phase  of  American 
life.  There  has  been  superficial  efficiency.  There  have 
been  advocates,  too,  of  the  reckless  expenditure  of  money 
on  the  part  of  the  government  who  justified  this  ex- 
penditure on  the  grounds  that  it  was  a practical 
means  of  distributing  revenues.  This  is  akin  to  the  old 
theory  of  political  economy  that  the  burning  of  a house 
somehow  created  labor.  Some  men  could  not  see  why 
the  destruction  of  property  was  not  a blessing  and  why 
it  would  fail  to  be  a community  blessing.  In  much  the 
same  way  our  public  expenditures  of  money  has  been 
characterized  by  a reckless  disregard  of  results  and 
oftentimes  by  a partial  failure  at  least  to  advance  the 
public  interests.  The  problem  of  poverty  that  stares  us 
in  the  face  is  a purely  local  condition.  There  is  money 
enough,  there  is  wealth  enough,  there  is  food  enough, 
but  for  some  reason  the  American  mind  has  not  yet  dis- 
covered a method  of  distribution  which  is  effective 
Meantime  everybody  is  clamoring  for  bigness.  Every 
city  wants  to  grow  at  a rapid  rate  and  exceed  the  speed 
limit  of  every  other  city.  In  this  buoyant  expectation 
the  superficial  observer  supposes  that  the  bigger  the 
city  the  more  certain  its  prosperity.  As  a matter  of  fact, 
the  bigger  the  city,  the  bigger  its  problems.  The  art 
and  science  of  living  in  our  great  centers  of 


7 


commerce  and  industry  is  yet  to  be  developed. 
The  prevalence  of  crime  and  the  widespread 
fear  that  settles  down  over  the  people  with  every  setting 
of  the  sun  is  a silent  testimony  to  the  fact  that  we  have 
not  yet  learned  how  to  live.  After  all,  it  is  quite  as  im- 
portant that  people  know  how  to  live  as  that  they  know 
how  to  fight  or  even  to  make  money.  The  problem  of  the 
American  city  has  been  heralded  for  two  decades  and 
just  now  we  are  discussing  the  great  problem  of  the 
open  country.  This,  too,  in  a country  where  energy 
abounds  and  where  a certain  superficial  efficiency  is 
recognized.  The  college  graduate  would  seem  therefore 
to  have  a divine  call  in  showing  us  how  to  direct  our 
energies  and  how  to  create  an  efficiency  that  yields  the 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  and  comfort. 

2.  A second  characteristic  of  American  life  has  been 
its  abounding  initiative.  The  typical  American  never 
declines  a challenge.  He  has  an  abounding  confidence 
in  his  ability  to  do  things.  He  starts  out  with  supreme 
confidence  that  things  will  turn  out  well  in  the  end.  Aside 
from  this  he  has  shown  a good  deal  of  originality  in 
his  initiative.  The  easiest  illustration  of  this  quality  will 
be  found  in  the  Patent  Office  at  Washington;  in  the 
improvement  of  American  machinery;  in  the  superior 
quality  of  many  of  the  common  things  that  minister  to 
everyday  life.  There  are  some  things  that  can  be  better 
done  in  Europe  than  in  America,  but  one  must  recognize 
that  the  initiative  of  the  American  has  been  rather  high 
class.  He  has  made  all  the  experiments  imaginable  in 
politics,  religion,  business,  and  education.  It  is  not  a 
condemnation  that  many  of  these  experiments  have  borne 
little  valuable  fruit.  It  is  this  restless  spirit  of  the  pioneer 
that  has  made  all  his  achievements  possible.  Perhaps 
you  will  say  that  his  energetic  initiative  has  not  always 
been  intelligent.  Let  that  be  granted,  but  we  must  also 
grant  that  American  initiative  has  earned  its  right  to 
recognition. 

Granted,  without  further  debate,  that  much  can  be 


8 


said  against  the  quality  of  American  initiative,  the  point 
I have  in  mind  is  that  the  graduate  of  the  twentieth 
century  will  hardly  startle  the  world  by  showing  unusual 
initiative.  His  problem  rather  will  be  to  direct  this  initia- 
tive in  practical’  useful,  and  helpful  lines.  Education 
should  help  its  beneficiary  to  do  things  in  a better  way. 
We  sometimes  fear  that  the  monotony  of  our  educational 
process  suppresses  and  destroys  the  initiative  of  the 
rising  generation.  It  must  be  confessed  that  excessive 
training  has  its  dangers.  College  life  itself  has  made 
evident  its  own  threat  against  the  useful  initiative  of 
the  graduate.  The  masterful  influence  of  leisure,  com- 
monly known  as  loafing,  has  a long  category  of  sins  in 
college  life.  It  may  be  well,  therefore,  to  sound  the 
note  of  caution,  perhaps  of  alarm,  to  the  American  col- 
lege graduate  of  today  when  he  faces  an  active,  busy 
world.  The  habit  of  dawdling  away  time,  too  common 
in  many  circles,  the  lack  of  any  appreciation  of  time  as 
a factor  in  life,  the  current  notion  that  an  escape  from 
the  adverse  decision  of  faculties  is  sufficient  for  gentle- 
man, unite  to  create  an  atmosphere  in  which  initiative 
is  discounted.  If  the  American  college  graduate  is  to 
improve  American  life  he  must  put  away  the  childish 
things  of  his  school  'days  and  act  the  part  of  an  intelli- 
gent, aggressive  citizen.  He  will  hardly  justify  the 
state’s  expenditure  of  money  for  his  education  unless 
tEis  contribution  makes  decidedly  for  economic 
efficiency.  The  tremendous  initiative  that  has  built  our 
railroads  and  our  subways  was  an  important  contribu- 
tion to  American  life.  Many  of  these  pioneers  of  finance 
and  construction  lacked  the  delibarate  preparation  of 
the  modern  university.  The  fathers  literally  hewed 
their  way  across  the  Alleghanies  and  blazed  the  pathway 
over  mounains  and  plains  to  the  Pacific  coast.  We  have 
no  new  continents  now  to  discover  but  we  have  yet  to 
make  some  most  important  discoveries  for  the  enrich- 
ment and  the  betterment  of  the  people.  There  is  no  one 
to  whom  we  look  with  such  confidence  or  with  such 


9 


reason  as  to  the  college  graduate  for  their  betterment. 
He  will  need  to  be  a pioneer  in  a good  many  questions 
that  vitally  effect  our  financial,  political,  and  social  wel- 
fare. 

3.  A third  suggestion  is  that  the  American  college 
graduate  will  need  to  recognize  the  genius  for  organi- 
zation that  has  characterized  American  life.  The  great- 
est political  problem  of  the  present  day  is  probably  cen- 
tered around  the  organization  of  wealth  and  of  industry. 
No  one  can  question  that  the  organization  itself  is  rather 
high  class.  Some  would  say  that  it  is  vicious;  others 
would  say  that  it  is  maliciously  managed;  some  would 
say  that  it  is  selfish  and  against  the  public  welfare.  Per- 
haps it  is  too  early  in  our  experience  to  know  just  what 
the  truth  really  is.  There  are  good  reasons  for  believing 
that  the  American  genius  for  organization  which  has 
developed  our  financial  systems,  our  railway  situation, 
our  forms  of  government,  and  last  of  all,  what  we  call 
the  trust,  is  not  altogether  malevolent.  It  may  be  con- 
ceded without  debate  that  in  the  progress  of  human  society 
very  decided  evils  have  been  developed.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  affirm  that  the  organizing  talent  of  the  American 
people  has  always  been  exercised  in  a wise  or  beneficent 
manner.  It  must  be  recognized,  however,  that  it  has  ac- 
complished some  gigantic  enterprises.  Some  college 
graduate  may  come  along  one  of  these  days  who  will  dis- 
tance all  the  fathers  in  his  power  of  organization,  but  it 
would  be  well  not  to  think  of  ourselves  more  highly  than 
we  ought  to  think  and  to  recognize  at  the  outset  that 
young  America  today  will  have  to  show  some  respect  to 
the  genius  of  the  fathers.  Whether  the  coming  young 
man  can  reform  the  organizations  in  business  and  industry 
so  as  to  eliminate  the  evils  without  destroying  the  enter- 
prise is  probably  a matter  of  academic  speculation. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  passing  that  it  is  easier  to  build 
a fortune  than  to  learn  how  to  use  it.  It  is  also  more 
difficult  to  live  an  honest  life  without  the  fortune  than  to 
resist  the  temptation  to  build  one  by  unrighteous  methods. 


10 


Students  of  society  are  beginning  to  criticise  American 
life  for  its  inability  to  direct  its  own  organizations.  The 
school  is  accused  of  falling  into  the  trap  of  an  unjust 
industrialism  because  it  favors  vocational  education. 
The  church  is  charged  with  indifference  to  the  public 
welfare  and  subserviency  to  the  malefactors  of  great 
wealth.  We  are  plainly  told  of  our  inability  to  manage 
our  industrial  organization  so  as  to  make  an  equitable 
distribution  of  the  benefits  arising  from  our  own  talent. 
We  are  told  that  the  modern  manufacturing  enterprise 
is  reasonably  efficient,  well  organized  but  badly  managed. 
The  proof  of  this  we  are  told  is  that  the  improvement 
in  productive  machinery  and  in  labor-saving  machinery 
has  not  adequately  improved  the  condition  of  the  laborer 
nor  protected  the  operator  from  the  dangers  of  industrial 
revolutions.  Strikes  and  lockouts  are  cited  as  proofs 
that  our  organizations  are  as  selfish  as  they  are  efficient. 
This  charge  is  laid  against  the  capitalist  and  the  labor 
union  with  equal  emphasis.  We  are  told  that  the  organ- 
ization of  labor  and  the  organization  of  capital  are  alike 
selfish,  while  the  efficiency  of  the  organization  for  certain 
purposes  is  not  disputed.  One  can  readily  see  that  the 
talent  of  organization  is  one  that  ought  to  be  highly 
prized.  The  college  graduate  of  tomorrow  will  need 
to  know  thoroughly  well  the  purpose  that  these  organiza- 
tions should  serve.  There  is  a large  and  practically  un- 
limited field  here  for  investigation  and  perhaps  for 
reform.  No  statesmanlike  view  would  consider  it 
necessary  to  spend  much  energy  in  abusing  the  genius  for 
organization  or  in  trying  to  legislate  against  it.  The  real 
problem  is  to  direct  this  organization  by  patroitic  and 
humanitarian  motives.  The  college  graduate  therefore 
if  he  is  to  serve  any  great  purpose  in  the  world  should 
be  able  to  direct  with  a superior  intelligence  the  organ- 
ized forces  of  industry,  of  commerce,  of  politics,  and  of 
business.  I have  the  faith  to  believe  that  the  world  will 
welcome  the  genius  who  can  ameliorate  conditions  with- 
out destroying  institutions.  If  our  education  fails  to 


ll 


produce  a generation  capable  of  progress  in  these  direc- 
tions few  will  be  the  words  of  praise. 

I venture  to  suggest  that  it  may  be  well  for  college 
graduates  to  recognize  the  fact  that  the  creation  of  wealth 
is  no  longer  the  supreme  achievement.  The  science  of 
production  in  nearly  every  realm  of  human  activity  has 
quite  outrun  our  ability  to  make  proper  use  of  it.  The 
tremendous  legacies  and  gifts  of  the  last  fifty  years  might 
well  be  interpreted  as  a testimony  on  the  part  of  wealth 
to  its  own  dissatisfaction.  Most  of  these  benevolences 
have  been  given  in  the  hope  that  they  might  do  something 
for  society  which  the  producer  of  wealth  was  unable  to 
do.  I imagine  that  a man  like  Mr.  Carnegie  has  realized 
that  the  problem  of  distributing  his  accumulations  is 
more  difficult  than  the  secrets  of  metallurgy  or  the 
mysteries  of  the  tariff.  Scotch  acquisitiveness  is  not  quite 
synonymous  with  the  wisdom  of  Solomon.  There  have 
been  millions  of  poverty  stricken  people  in  the  genera- 
tions past  and  yet  no  nation  has  gone  to  a pauper’s  grave. 
The  lesson  of  the  centuries  would  be,  therefore,  that 
educated  men  and  women  would  do  well  not  to  set  their 
affections  too  exclusively  on  the  accumulation  of  wealth 
in  the  hope  of  gaining  an  enviable  immortality  in  history. 
The  story  of  Croesus  is  as  unsatisfying  as  that  of  the 
modern  multi-millionaire.  There  is  something  yet  lacking. 
It  would  be  a great  misfortune  if  the  world’s  wealth  were 
destroyed  or  if  new  wealth  could  not  be  created.  It  is 
equally  unsatisfactory  if  the  amassing  cannot  carry  with 
it  a like  accumulation  of  human  happiness.  The  progress 
of  the  world  is  not  to  be  measured  exclusively  in  the 
statistical  tables  of  tax  duplicates  or  government  revenues. 
If  college  graduates  are  to  make  any  contribution  to  the 
permanent  progress  of  the  world  they  will  need  to  do 
something  other  than  and  something  more  than  add  to 
its  wealth.  It  may  be  that  America  is  too  young  yet  to 
realize  the  importance  of  the  non-material  assets.  It 
may  be  that  the  fear  of  poverty  will  so  distress  the 
college  graduate  as  to  prohibit  him  from  throwing  his 


12 


life  into  the  high  purpose  of  making  life  more  fruitful. 
The  late  Earle  of  Shaftsbury  stood  in  his  generation  as 
a type  of  man  who  regarded  the  ministry  of  service  to 
others  as  the  chief  opportunity  of  his  day.  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, a contemporary,  illustrated  in  a political  world  an 
almost  unparalleled  devotion  to  the  things  of  the  mind 
and  to  the  spirit.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  great 
creator  of  wealth  will  every  occupy  as  permanent  a place 
in  the  esteem  and  affection  of  history  as  Mr.  Gladstone. 
Our  own  country  has  not  been  without  such  notable  ex- 
amples. The  services  of  a Washington  or  a Lincoln  are 
quite  beyond  the  measurements  commonly  applied  to  men 
of  wealth.  In  less  conspicuous  spheres  many  a college 
graduate  has  served  with  a distinction  all  out  of  propor- 
tion to  his  publicity.  The  despiritualizing  effects  of 
these  material  measurements  have  been  commented  upon 
by  thoughtful  men  for  a generation.  There  is  in  the 
American  mind  today  a profound  conviction  that  the  col- 
lege graduate  would  do  well  not  to  surrender  ingloriously 
to  the  temptation  to  enter  the  fields  of  easier  conquest. 
There  is  a greater  need  of  men  today  than  of  money; 
of  dependable  character  than  of  guaranteed  deposits. 

Turning  aside  now  from  these  qualities  in  American  life 
let  me  suggest  some  opportunities  that  lie  before  us,  in- 
viting us  to  undertake  the  larger  realization  of  our  ideals. 

The  educated  person  should  give  full  consideration  to 
the  fundamental  importance  of  the  great  movement  now 
for  world  peace  among  the  most  advanced  nations  of 
the  earth.  These  nations  are  those  who  have  practically 
occupied  their  territory  and  have  brought  their  people  to 
the  highest  state  of  intellectual  and  moral  achievement 
Their  problem  is  one  of  self-maintenance  and  of  future 
development  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  qualities  that  give 
character  to  nations.  Territorial  aggrandizement  is  no 
longer  possible  for  such  nations  as  England,  the  United 
States,  Germany,  and  France.  These  nations  have  all 
gone  through  the  pioneer  period  and  are  now  face  to  face 
with  the  large  problems  of  a permanent  civilization  of 


13 


high  character.  The  greatest  single  effort  made  by 
President  Taft  in  his  administration  was  to  secure  an 
amicable  agreement  between  certain  nations  for  the  set- 
tlement by  arbitration  of  all  international  differences. 
This  called  for  a new  definition  of  national  honor.  It 
involved  setting  aside  the  older  customs  and  the  bringing 
in  of  a new  conception  of  the  relation  between  nations. 
It  was  a prophetic  note  in  the  interest  of  the  kingdom  of 
peace.  The  United  States’  Senate,  still  dominated  by 
the  old  theory  that  might  makes  right,  could  not  rise 
to  the  new  moral  conception  that  right  makes  might.  It 
still  was  disposed  to  lean  upon  material  forces  as  superior 
to  reason  and  righteousness.  This  seemed  a note  of  sad 
discouragement  to  the  more  progressive  people  of  our 
time  but  is  only  a passing  comment  on  the  persistency 
of  tradition  in  influencing  action.  The  lack  of  vision 
and  of  moral  courage  thus  displayed  has  given  a new 
impulse  among  millions  of  people  to  insist  that  people 
who  write  constitutions  and  make  history  are  better  than 
their  best  constitutions.  Life  must  interpret  our  insti- 
tutions rather  than  be  circumscribed  by  them.  The  re- 
newed effort  of  the  present  Secretary  of  State,  with  the 
cordial  approval  of  the  Chief  Executive,  is  but  another 
attempt  to  realize  in  international  agreements  the  con- 
science and  best  judgement  of  the  most  progressive 
thought  of  the  day.  The  significance  of  this  movement 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  revolutionizes  the  attitude  of  men 
of  the  world  upon  the  relation  that  should  exist  between 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  We  have  happily  left  in  the 
rear  the  old  practice  of  private  justice  and  have  come  to 
believe  that  the  interests  of  a community  are  supreme  as 
against  the  interests  of  the  private  individual.  This  does 
not  mean  that  private  rights  are  to  be  ignored  but  that 
they  are  to  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  the  larger  pub- 
lic welfare.  It  is  not  that  the  horrors  of  war  have  been 
overestimated  but  that  there  has  come  a new  appreciation 
of  a relation  based  upon  integrity  of  life,  reasonable  in- 
terpretation of  differences,  and  the  importance  of  a per- 


14 


manent  basis  of  security  for  society.  An  attitude  of  sus- 
picion is  not  wholesome  either  between  individuals  or  be- 
tween nations.  This  new  conception  signifies  also  that 
the  world  has  come  to  appreciate  permanent  peace  as 
the  basis  of  a right  organization  of  its  industries.  The 
tremendous  waste  involved  in  constant  preparation  for 
war  has  diverted  a large  amount  of  human  industry  and 
human  wealth  into  channels  that  lead  to  destruction  as 
their  ultimatum  rather  than  the  construction  oif  per- 
manent prosperity.  The  more  civilization  is  developed 
the  deeper  is  the  conviction  that  human  industry  should 
be  organized  in  the  interest  of  human  happiness.  The 
free  intermingling  of  the  educated  nations  of  the  earth 
may  not  wisely  be  threatened  with  the  technicalities  of 
international  law.  The  interests  of  millions  are  so  far 
reaching  that  they  ought  not  to  be  threatened  by  the  in- 
ability of  a few  officials  to  adjust  differences  which  their 
own  interpretations  frequently  create.  Government  is 
to  represent  the  people.  It  is  a false  notion  that  the 
people  are  to  be  made  the  victims  of  inefficiency  or  ir- 
rational government  as  expressed  through  sensitive  offi- 
cials. It  has  been  remarked  that  if  the  officers  were 
compelled  to  fight  the  battles,  treaties  of  peace  would 
soon  be  written.  A referendum  on  the  question  of  war 
would  put  an  end  to  most  of  the  bloodshed.  President 
Jordan  has  clearly  pointed  out  the  waste  of  intellec- 
tual and  moral  resources  by  the  ravages  of  war  upon 
the  young  men  of  a generation.  Others  have  written 
clearly  upon  the  financial  waste  and  the  consequent  burden 
upon  the  multitude  often  entailed  for  two  generations. 
This  diverting  of  a nation’s  resources  of  men  and  money 
and  the  wicked  use  of  her  industrial  organizations  can 
not  long  continue  among  nations  where  the  questions  of 
conservation  and  permanency  have  become  fundamental. 
The  victories  and  triumphs  of  the  future  will  lie  along 
the  lines  of  the  economic  utilization  of  the  resources  of 
the  world  for  its  own  preservation.  This  means  in  a 
word  that  the  industries  of  the  people  shall  be  applied 


15 


to  their  own  needs  and  that  the  highest  function  of 
government  is  to  preserve  the  peace  rather  than  to  pro- 
mote strife.  This  leads  to  a remark  upon  the  movement 
in  our  times  for  a humane  government.  The  doctrine 
that  the  government  is  for  the  people  must  adjust  itself 
to  a new  conception  of  what  the  interests  of  the  people 
really  are.  The  unwelcome  spectacle  of  enormous  ex- 
penditures by  the  government  in  the  maintenance  of 
standing  armies  and  the  development  of  navies  suggests 
at  once  that  the  world’s  leaders  are  too  willing  to 
recognize  conditions  fraught  with  cruelty.  The  scholar 
cannot  contemplate  such  things  with  satisfaction  or 
indifference.  He  regards  the  organization  of  society  as 
a means  to  an  end  and  would  eliminate  from  it  the  pos- 
sibility of  cruelty  and  injustice.  One  cannot  fail  to  be- 
lieve as  he  contemplates  the  public  clamor  for  integrity 
in  office  that  there  is  a growing  conviction  on  the  part  of 
the  multitude  that  faithful  representation  of  the  people 
would  eliminate  the  evils  of  government  and  protect  us 
against  the  antagonism  of  prejudice.  An  educated  civiliza- 
tion moves  rapidly  away  from  the  quarrels  of  primitive 
life.  The  problem  before  the  educated  man  is  to  bring  his 
government  to  see  the  necessity  of  recognizing  this  pro- 
gress. It  is  here  fhat  modern  democracy  is  making  its 
loudest  call  to  educated  people  to  enter  the  public  ser- 
vice in  good  conscience  and  with  the  determination  to 
advance  the  cause  of  the  people.  The  aroused  conscience 
of  the  country  on  the  social  conditions  has  opened  the 
opportunity  for  educated  men  and  women  to  engage  in 
a movement  to  reduce  and  eventually  to  abolish  com- 
mercialized vice  as  represented  in  the  saloon  traffic  and 
its  attending  iniquities.  The  widespread  movement  in 
the  interest  of  children,  of  better  conditions  of  labor  for 
both  men  and  women,  of  better  sanitary  conditions  for 
the  ordinary  factory  and  a protection  of  society  against 
the  violence  of  mobs,  calls  for  the  enlistment  of  every 
college  graduate  in  America  in  this  holy  cause.  The 
movement  for  a better  government  in  our  cities,  for  a 


16 


better  rural  life,  and  for  a more  economic  utilization  of 
the  energies  of  the  people  could  be  tremendously  advan- 
ced in  a single  decade  if  the  college  bred  men  and  women 
of  the  country  would  give  a sympathetic  response  to  this 
call. 

One  must  always  recognize  the  necessity  ’ of  making 
provision  for  his  own  maintenance.  The  opportunity 
and  duty  of  earning  one’s  daily  bread  is  always  impera- 
tive. Nevertheless  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  every  educated 
person  will  produce  more  than  he  will  consume.  He  will 
amass  something  of  resources  that  he  can  not  utilize.  I 
do  not  refer  merely  to  money  or  to  bank  stocks.  These 
are  the  most  perishable  of  the  world’s  resources.  Every 
educated  individual  should  be  a fountain  of  power  and 
efficiency.  I desire*  therefore,  to  make  the  appeal  clear 
and  strong  that  young  men  and  young  women,  educated 
largely  at  the  expense  of  others  and  often  by  the  state, 
shall  recognize  that  in  their  accumulation  of  power  and 
efficiency  simple  gratitude  requires  that  they  bring  back 
to  the  state  and  the  community  a public  service  in  some 
degree  commensurate  with  the  opportunities  they  have  en_ 
joyed.  I should  have  them  bring  into  this  public  service, 
not  a selfish  desire  for  personal  aggrandizement,  for  the 
increase  of  their  power,  or  for  accumulation  of  great  for- 
tunes, but  an  earnest  purpose  to  help  in  the  solution  of 
the  distribution  of  the  world’s  resources  to  the  needs  of 
society.  If  government  is  a means  to  an  end  and  if  edu- 
cated men  and  women  are  the  most  efficient  instruments 
in  the  management  of  the  government,  it  follows  without 
debate  that  in  the  matters  of  church,  of  politics,  of  busi- 
ness, of  society,  and  of  every  other  organization,  educated 
people  * should  'be  our  (most  beneficent  citizens.  I 
could  not  advise  or  counsel  young  men  always  to  seek 
poilitical  preferment,  nor  could  I advise  them  to  shun 
or  avoid  it.  In  Ohio  there  are  only  two  great  issues;  one 
is  the  integrity  of  the  man  voting;  the  other  is  the  integ- 
rity of  the  man  for  whom  the  vote  is  cast.  I imagine  this 
will  sum  up  about  all  the  political  problems  in  the  Com- 


17 


monwealth  of  South  Carolina.  To  this  service  college 
bred  men  should  freely  give  themselves.  The  trend  of 
modern  society  is  in  the  direction  of  a larger  utilization 
of  the  educated  people  of  a community  in  social  better- 
ment. Without  much  reference  to  your  profession  of 
religion  or  the  lack  of  it,  every  citizen  of  this  country  must 
act  like  a Christian  whether  he  is  one  or  not.  The  em- 
phasis of  our  day  is  for  men  and  women  who  will  sacrifice 
themselves  in  the  interest  of  public  welfare.  This  is  es- 
sentially a Christian  service  following  in  the  wake  of  the 
great  Master  who  for  twenty  centuries  has  led  the  world’s 
thinking.  Men  may  be  slow  in  proclaiming  their  indi- 
vidual beliefs  but  enlistment  in  the  great  army  need  not 
always  be  conditioned  upon  an  ability  to  analyze  intelli- 
gently the  problem.  The  educated  men  and  women  are 
the  leaders  whose  power  of  analysis  should  blaze  the 
way  for  rational  action  on  the  part  of  all  the  people. 

In  this  public  service  one  will  not  be  long  in  discovering 
that  the  fundamental  interest  of  society  clusters  about  the 
individual,  that  is  about  his  rights,  his  duties  and  his 
opportunities.  Tremendous  emphasis  is  now  being  put 
upon  the  importance  of  human  life  and  therefore  of 
human  rights.  For  long  years  the  laws  and  the  courts 
had  defended  human  property  as  well  as  human  life.  But 
little  more  can  be  said  in  the  defense  of  property.  That 
problem  has  been  fairly  well  worked  through.  The  great 
problem  of  the  future  will  be  to  conserve  human  life,  to 
enlarge  its  field  of  service  and  to  protect  it.  The  old 
struggle  for  human  slavery,  which  was  largely  a labor 
problem,  was  the  prophecy  of  the  present  day  struggles 
for  the  liberating  of  the  human  mind  and  a protection  of 
the  freedom  of  men  in  thought,  in  speech,  and  in  action. 
There  are  tyrannies  which  we  discover  in  investigating 
labor  conditions;  tyrannies  in  industrial  circles;  tyrannies 
often  in  the  school  house,  and  occasionally  a remnant 
of  ecclesiastical  tyranny  in  religious  circles.  There 
is  one  great  end  to  which  both  education  and  religion 
point;  namely,  the  liberalizing  and  liberating  of  the 


18 


human  soul.  The  great  mission  of  the  Messiah  was  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives.  The  modern  state  uni- 
versity has  long  held  up  a banner  of  freedom  but  no  com- 
monwealth has  realized  completely  the  freedom  for  which 
education  rightly  stands.  These  conquests  which  are 
occuring  every  day  mark  the  onward  progress  of  modern 
society  and  into  this  enlarged  field  of  opportunity  educa- 
ted men  and  women  should  enter  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
hope  and  the  courage  of  intelligence. 

This  appeal  of  the  hour  to  college  graduates  is  based 
upon  the  needs  of  modern  democracy  in  its  struggle  to 
maintain  itself  and  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  less 
fortunate.  For  all  time  it  has  been  agreed  that  the 
strong  can  provide  for  themselves.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  there  is  a development  of  wealth  and  influence  that 
is  a kind  of  special  privilege  in  which  small  minorities 
participate.  The  college  graduate  himself  belongs  to 
a privileged  class.  His  privilege  is  the  outgrowth  of 
special  opportunities  which  he  has  been  able  to  utilize  to 
his  own  advantage.  He  by  reason  of  his  leisure  for 
study  and  his  opportunity  to  get  a broad  view  of  the  re- 
lations of  men  is  the  selected  leader  in  bringing  the  privi- 
leged class  to  see  its  opportunity  to  cultivate  and  maintain 
the  right  attitude  towards  all  parties  in  the  great  mass. 
When  he  enters  business,  engages  in  the  world’s  great 
enterprises,  either  as  manufacturer,  professional  man, 
expert,  or  as  public  official,  there  is  the  temptation  to 
forget  the  rock  whence  he  was  hewn  and  the  hole  of  the 
pit  whence  he  was  digged.  It  is  easy  and  perhaps  natural 
under  prosperity  to  forget  the  days  of  poverty  and  ad- 
versity. The  loss  of  human  sympathy  in  educated  men 
and  in  men  of  fortune  is  little  short  of  a calamity.  Our 
education  can  justify  itself  not  merely  by  success  in 
achieving  a place  for  ourselves  but  in  the  higher  success 
of  having  made  a place  for  others.  It  is  this  constant 
concern  for  the  public  welfare  that  characterizes  all 
genuine  democracy.  The  day  has  gone,  let  us  hope  for- 
ever, when  the  college  graduate  in  business  or  anywhere 


19 


may  disregard  the  interests  of  the  whole  people.  In  our 
eftorts  to  describe  the  movements  we  have  heard  the  new 
terms,  social  righteousness,  social  service,  social  justice 
and  their  companion  phrases.  Let  not  our  admiration  for 
fhese  terms  blind  us  to  the  fact  that  everlasting  righteous- 
ness is  the  foundation  of  God’s  world.  The 
obligation  of  righteousness  is  upon  us  all,  whether  we 
recognize  it  or  not.  The  old  term  “noblesse  oblige”  is 
not  entirely  obsolete.  The  recognition  of  the  obligations 
resting  upon  a gentleman  to  be  a gentlemanf  has  a wide 
application  among  all  people  who  recognize  their  moral 
responsibilities.  The  hope  of  our  universities  lies  in  the 
application  of  this  principle.  The  university  does  not 
exist  for  its  own  glory  and  aggrandizement  nor  its 
graduate  for  his  selfish  advantage.  The  spirit  of  service 
and  devotion  to  essential  righteousness  should  inspire  both 
our  research  and  our  teaching.  Such  an  idealism  should 
linger  in  every  mind  as  the  guiding  star  of  achievement. 
Here  in  the  South  with  its  characteristic  freedom  and  the 
blush  of  youth  upon  your  cheeks,  you  have  been  quick  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  your  own  circles.  Now,  with  a 
nation  born  in  a day  as  was  the  Chinese  Republic  and 
with  the  centers  of  Europe  shaken  by  a new  struggle  with 
old  world  privilege  as  seen  in  the  Bulgarian  war,  we  may 
rise  with  a new  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  educated 
democracy  and  do  our  part  to  make  America’s  influence 
in  the  world’s  program  count  for  the  interests  of  human- 
ity. Let  us  not  assume  that  the  world  will  steadily  drift 
to  the  better  estate.  Liberty  as  always  is  an  achievement. 
Progress,  as  always,  is  measured  by  sacrifice,  and  men 
are  to  be  estimated  in  terms  of  service.  The  college 
graduate  is  not  produced  to  enjoy  a democracy  but  to 
create  and  maintain  it.  As  the  child  of  opportunity,  best 
equipped  of  us  all  for  leadership,  he  will  realize  the 
hopes  of  his  generation  when  he  is  the  living  embodiment 
of  the  simple  law — he  that  will  be  first  among  you,  let 
him  be  servant  to  all. 


20 


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S-;.:  V 


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